Improvement in tail-pieces for violins



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN PFAFF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

iMPROVEMENT IN TAIL-PIECES FOR VIOLINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,256, dated May 13, i862.

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Be it known that I, JOHN PFAFF, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useiul Improvement in Tail-Pieces tor Violins and I do hereby declare the following to be a t'ull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being' had to the accompanying' drawings, and to the letters ot reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in the tail-piece for violins, for which Letters Patent were granted to me on the 7th day of June, 1859; and my improvement consists in combining' with atail-piece a tongue, of thin metal, so arrar ged and ot such dimensions that by applying the mouth to the stem of the tail-piece and blowing against the tongue the vibration of the latter will g'ive out a note for guiding' the performer in tuning his instrument.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying' draw-v ings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is a plan view ot' my improved tailpiece for violins, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section.

A represents the tail-piece, which is made of any metal or alloy of metal capable of being' readily bent without breaking', one end oi' the tail-piece being' bent down, as shown by red lines, 2, and terminating' in an eye, a, for Fitting over a peg attached to the end ot' the body of the violin, as usual. The opposite end of the tail-piece has two arms, e e, connected together by the cross-bar f, this end being otherwise constructed in the manner described in my aforesaid patent for the reception of the knotted ends of the strings.

In the stem ot the tail-piece an oblong' opening' is formed at the point a', and above this opening is a tongue, y, of thin metal, riveted or otherwise secured at one end to the tailpiece, the tongue being' of such dimensions that while it nearly coincides with the oblong' opening it is free to vibrate freely without coming in contact with the sides or end of the said opening'. The tongue is, in fact, arranged on thetaihpiece precisely as the tongues or reeds of aceordions, melodeons, or other like instruments are on the slotted plates to which they are attached. The tongue is of course so constructed and of such a size that when the mouth is applied to the tail-piece, and the tongue blown against such, a note will be given out as will guide the performer in tuning his instrument.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Combining' the tongue y with the tail-piece of a violin, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing' witnesses.

JOHN PFAFF.

XYitn esses:

HENRY HowsoN, JOHN WHITE. 

